The Fox and the Trickster
by RobotQT1
Summary: A woman discovers Loki after he is banished from Asgard and stripped of his powers, but all is not as it first appears. Loki/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Thor or The Avengers. They belong to Marvel. I do, however, own my OCs.**

* * *

Someone was in her forest. Kit Park could feel it, a slimy darkness writhing in her core. It felt like poison. Still groggy, she groaned and rolled over, tugging her blanket up over her head as she did so.

_I do not have time for this_, Kit thought feebly. She stifled a yawn and squeezed her eyes shut. _Maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away…_

Time crawled by, but sleep still evaded her. With another yawn she rolled back over and glanced at her alarm clock. The tiny red numbers blinked 3:00 AM at her. She grit her teeth and flopped back against her pillow.

_I really don't have time for this shit! The Chas want me to open for them tomorrow!_ Tomorrow meant five, of course. The Cha family, who owned the restaurant where Kit worked as a server, were ridiculously efficient in the way they ran things. Sometimes Kit loved it, but other times, she hated it and wished for a simpler time when she could just run in the forest without worrying about the consequences.

A static in the air made the hair stand up along Kit's arms, tearing her mind away from her job woes. She sat straight up and, mindlessly scratching the side of her head, glanced out the window. For a moment she was mesmerized by the full moon hanging in the dark navy sky. She knew what she had to do, though she didn't want to do it. Kit slid out of bed and, wrapping herself in a pale green robe, headed outside to investigate. She would not rest until she figured out what was going on.

Out in her backyard, Kit quickly glanced around to ensure her privacy. There were things her neighbors - namely Auntie Cha, the elderly woman who shared the duplex - were better off not knowing about her. When Kit was sure she was alone, she took a few steps forward and gently hopped into the air. She flew gracefully above the treetops of her neighborhood, gliding silently on a wind that hadn't been there before.

For a moment she closed her eyes and allowed herself to soak in the rush of freedom she felt. Once upon a time she would have flown with little concern of being noticed, but now that was a luxury she could rarely afford. The modern world's technological advances simply didn't allow her to do what she was doing now. If someone were to find out what she was, they could strip her of her immortality and make her just another human. That was the last thing Kit ever wanted. She didn't think she had much to worry about at this time of night, though. Not at three in the morning, and not in this quiet of a neighborhood.

Houses and backyards eventually gave way to the Oaks Bottom Wetlands park. Below Kit's feet were the standard treetops, trails, lakes, and other natural beauty that she held close to her heart. It wasn't home by any means, but it was close enough. The further she got into Oaks Bottom, the more she felt the slimy static coating her skin. It was stifling like warm air on a muggy summer day. Kit blinked hard against the static that made her dizzy. She couldn't fly like this. But she didn't need to much longer.

A dark swirling mass bloomed in the sky, growing into roiling storm clouds that took Kit's breath away. The sky opened up and a beam of blue light shot down from the clouds. Kit swore loudly in alarm, quickly backing away from the light tunnel. It was nearly blinding in the gloom that Kit's eyes had adjusted to. She threw up an arm to cover her eyes, still wincing away.

_What the hell is this?_ Kit thought frantically. She lowered her arm and squinted at the sight before her. _Some kind of storm?_

The light dissipated almost as suddenly as it was upon her, shooting back up into the clouds. She followed it with her eyes. The clouds still spun in the air, though they too eventually faded away into nothing. Kit chewed her lip. This - whatever she had just experienced - was far from normal. Then again, so was she, but it wasn't normal even by her standards.

The poison-static was fading as well, and when Kit realized this she flew on to follow it. The feeling had all but evaporated once she reached a circular clearing in the woods. She peered down into the clearing and gasped. An intricate pattern was etched on the forest floor, and at the center of it lay a man that Kit had never seen before.

She touched down behind the trees at the edge of the clearing, too stunned to believe what she was seeing.

_I'm way out of my element…_

* * *

Loki hated the forest. Under any other circumstances, he would have found it beautiful. Deciduous trees towered above him, and the scent of rain hung in the air. Everything around him seemed to be some shade of green, from the moss growing on tree trunks to the lichen hanging from their branches. He could even see a spray of stars in the night sky that hung above him. Yet a small kernel of fear - which he would never admit to feeling - chilled him far more than the cold in the air and the dampness from the earth soaking through his clothes.

There was something just not right about this place.

The first thing he noticed about the forest was the lack of birdsong. The silence seemed almost deafening in a way that had quickly gotten under his skin. He had learned long ago that something predatory was near when the birds weren't singing.

More than that, though, was the feeling of being watched. It crept over him and made his skin crawl. Loki wasn't unfamiliar with this feeling; it wasn't all that different from how he felt when Odin's ravens were near, or even when Heimdall was watching him from the Bifrost. But this was different than anything Hugin and Munin could produce. It was almost menacing in its ambiguity. Loki would be hard pressed to believe he wasn't alone, yet at the same time, he found himself wondering if he was just paranoid. He had seen nothing and heard nothing - what proof did he have that he was not alone? Yet without his powers, he felt weak and vulnerable, an easy target for whatever was out there.

Loki groaned and rolled onto his side in an effort to stand. The landing he had suffered after being banished from Asgard was a hard one, and this ground was even harder. Not counting the branches of the trees on the way down, there had been little to break his fall. The taste of blood in his mouth was salty and metallic. His entire body felt like it was broken, and the cold in the forest wasn't helping the pain. If he could just get to his feet, perhaps he could find a way out of here…

Off in the distance, a twig snapped. Loki jumped at the noise and whipped his head around toward its source. The resulting echo died away. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Eyes wide, he scanned the trees, but saw nothing.

"Show yourself!" Loki screamed in frustration. There was no reply. "Didn't you hear me? Come out of there! Coward!"

Again, nothing. He let out another angry cry before rolling onto his back in defeat.

"I'm not a coward," said a soft voice from several feet away. Loki lifted his head. His vision swam and he quickly lowered his head again. "Lay still."

"Don't tell me what to do," Loki spat. His remark was met with tutting. He rolled his head to the side, only to see a pair of bare feet striding toward him. A light green robe rippled around the stranger's feet.

"Do you want me to help you or not?" She knelt just out of Loki's reach, and her face swam into view. Loki blinked to steady his sight. Before him was a woman with a smooth oval face. She wore her straight black hair loose around her shoulders, and her almond-shaped eyes were a dark brown.

Loki rolled his eyes. "I don't need your help."

The woman's lips twitched; he'd struck a nerve with her, and he liked it. "It's the middle of the night. I doubt anyone else will be passing through here till morning."

"I'll take my chances," he muttered. The woman sighed.

"You stubborn little man," she said in annoyance. Then, getting to her feet, "Suit yourself."


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Thor or The Avengers. They belong to Marvel. I only own my OCs.**

* * *

_I'm going to eat his liver_, Kit thought to herself, and not for the first time as she drove to the hospital. The thought had been circling around in her mind ever since she had returned to find the man passed out in the clearing. His black leather boots, which he had been wearing when she'd first found him, were gone this time. The sight of his bare feet had initially caught Kit off-guard; she truly didn't expect anyone else to be in the area at what Johnny Cha liked to call "the ass-crack of dawn".

It had taken some effort to wrangle the man and haul him up the foot path to her car. Oak's Bottom was strictly for pedestrians and cyclists from what Kit had seen. If this hadn't been the case, she would have saved herself the trouble and taken her truck with her into the wetlands. But of course, bearing the man's full weight uphill was a very necessary evil. There was no doubt in Kit's mind that, had he not been passed out, he'd have been dragging his heels and putting up a fight the entire way back to the parking lot.

_I'm going to eat his liver._

One thing Kit was still trying to figure out was why she'd gone back for him in the first place. The entire time she had been getting ready for work, something kept nagging her at the back of her mind. Kit had never really considered her truly good or bad, so she figured that this was what humans called guilt. It was like a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that refused to go away until she chose to act. She had to. What if something else had found him?

Well, there was a reason he was without his shoes, but still.

The light changed to red and Kit slowed to a stop. Sighing, she glanced over to the man beside her. For the first time since she found him, he looked perfectly at ease. His lips were parted slightly, and his chest rose and fell with the gentle rhythm of sleep. His wounds, however, were a perfect contrast to this. He had scratches all over his face and a gash above his brow. Kit swiped a fingertip down the side of his cheek and touched it to her lips.

_Mmm_, she thought, happily closing her eyes. Then she cringed. _No! You're supposed to be a human right now! Act right!_

Kit let out a beleaguered sigh. She just wanted to get the man to the hospital and be done with him. He was an adult, after all; it wasn't like anyone would look at her askance if she just left him there. Besides, her hunger for him was in a delightful tug-of-war with the uneasy feeling he left her with. Some moments she wanted to dig into him right then and there, while other moments she wanted to get as far away from him as she could. Right now, in her truck, there was far too little distance between them.

Kit checked the clock on her dashboard, suddenly pulled from her thoughts. Five-thirty AM. Her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch and she groaned inwardly, pulling her cell-phone from the pocket of her camo jacket. She punched in the restaurant's number and waited in dread for someone to pick up.

_Please not Mrs. Cha, please not Mrs. Cha, please not Mrs. Cha…_ Kit prayed. She was not normally the praying type. There were lots of things in this world, but they were far too abstract to be worth the kow-towing on her part.

"Hello, Korean Grill, how may I help you today?" Mrs. Cha chirped into the phone. Kit cringed again.

_Damn!_ "Mrs. Cha? This is Kit. Um…I'm going to be late today…" She fought to keep the tremble out of her voice, though she knew it was no use. There were times where it seemed like Mrs. Cha could smell fear, and Kit was sure this would be one of those times.

The light turned green and Kit started driving again. _Deep breath in, deep breath out._

"Late? How come?" A hint of suspicion laced Mrs. Cha's tone, which wasn't all that surprising to Kit. While Korean Grill was a sit-down restaurant, it still attracted flakey high-school and college students who were just looking for a little extra job experience and pocket change. Kit had been around long enough to notice the high turnover rate. The Chas themselves were also sticklers for punctuality when it came to their business, so the high turnover rate wasn't all that surprising. No call, no show, no job. Period.

"It's an emergency. I have to take…" How would Kit explain this? "…a _friend_ to the hospital."

There was a brief pause on the other end as Mrs. Cha, in Kit's mind, contemplated Oregon's various labor laws. "I hope everything's all right," she finally said in a clipped tone. "Call me when you're on your way."

Kit let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Cha. I certainly will."

Kit hung up, feeling the tension easing out of her shoulders. She looked back at her passenger. He was still asleep, or so she thought until she saw his eyelids flutter.

"What makes you think we're friends?" he mumbled.

"So did you pass out before or _after_ some hobo stole your shoes?" Kit said in return.

The man refused to answer. Instead, he just sat up and stared out the window. To Kit, he looked for all the world like a sulking, moody teenager. She would know. She'd worked with plenty of them at Korean Grill.

* * *

Kit stared in wonder at the man as he warily took in his surroundings. He turned a slow circle in the middle of the pharmacy, which was located just before the check-in desk. His face was coldly neutral, and one of his eyebrows was raised in appraisal. He turned to Kit, but she cut him off before he could speak. Right now the last thing she needed was any of his attitude.

"I'm going to check us in over there," she said, nodding toward the check-in desk. "If you wanna sit, well…" The corner of Kit's mouth quirked upward in a smirk. "Knock yourself out."

"Funny," was all the man said.

He slowly stalked over to the chairs in the pharmacy while Kit went to wait in the reception desk's line. When she glanced back at the man, she noticed he had chosen a spot away from everyone else. He was leaning back, arms crossed defensively over his chest and legs tucked close to the chair. He scanned the patients' faces with a frigid glare of disapproval.

Kit rolled her eyes. _Ugh._

The man's eyes locked onto hers. Kit held his gaze; she knew it was a challenge and she was happy to accept. Nothing could make her look away. Minutes ticked by. The line shrank as each person was called forward by a receptionist. Until…

"I can help whoever's next, over here!"

_Damn!_

The man gave Kit the smallest of smiles. She lifted her chin.

_This isn't over._

Kit stepped up to the receptionist and, leaning on the desk, dug in her purse for her insurance card and ID.

"Ah, yeah, I'm here about my friend –" Kit jerked a thumb at the still-smirking man. "-Holden Cox."

Kit looked over her shoulder at the man and gave him the biggest shit-eating grin that she could manage.

* * *

_Will this woman never leave me alone?_ Loki thought to himself in irritation. He was quickly starting to hate the way she watched him with a look of cautious fascination in her eyes. She was smart to be cautious, of course, and he would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate her awe, but he just wanted to be left alone. It was the only way he could gather his thoughts and plan his return to Asgard.

This place – a _waiting room_ the woman had called it – wasn't the place to work out such plans. It smelled strange, there were too many people, and a baby wouldn't stop fussing. It was enough to make Loki want to pull his hair out in frustration. He wouldn't actually go that far, of course – it had taken _forever_ for his hair to finally get to shoulder-length. Even Sif was jealous.

Worse than that damned baby, though, was the boredom. Loki had been staring at the same pastel flower painting for the last twenty minutes. The more he stared at it, the more he thought it looked like a –

"Virginia?" called a man in a mint-green shirt and matching pants. To Loki's relief, the mother and her squalling brat got up to go with him.

"Georgia O'Keefe," said the woman who had found him. Loki frowned.

"Hmm?"

The woman pointed to the painting. "Georgia O'Keefe, that's the artist who painted those flowers. My co-worker, Johnny? He likes her work." She offered Loki a smile, which he ignored.

"That's nice."

The girl said nothing; she snatched a news magazine from a table and flipped through it. Loki settled back into his chair, staring at the painting once again.

"Holden?" called a girl's voice. "Holden Cox?"

The woman poked Loki in the shoulder. He stiffened under her touch and shot her an angry glare.

"That's you," she said, never looking up from her magazine. "Just follow her through those doors. I'll wait out here for you."

Loki got up without a word and briskly strode away. A blush tinged the young red-headed nurse's cheeks when she looked up into his pale green eyes. Loki allowed himself a small smile in return.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Thor or The Avengers. They belong to Marvel. I only own my OCs.**

* * *

It had to be the slowest thirty minutes in Kit's life. Names were called, patients came and went, but still no…whoever he was. She refused to call him Holden – it was just a stupid pun that she'd come up with to make up for the fact that she didn't even know his name And wasn't his name an important part of her cover story?

Kit grit her teeth in annoyance. She couldn't just read the same stupid articles about celebrities forever.

_What the hell are they doing in there?!_ Kit thought, tossing the magazine back on the table. She looked over at the door he'd vanished through. _Do head checks really take this long?_

Kit leaned back with a sigh and absently grabbed another magazine off the table. _These writers should have _their _heads checked if they think the size of Kim Kardashian's ass is newsworthy – _

Kit froze when she saw a pale, familiar face on the cover. She slowly shook her head, repeating, "No, no, no…" under her breath. A few bemused patients glanced up at her. She just ignored them.

_This can't be him_, she thought. _I mean, he's back in his world, isn't he? I thought they took him back!_

Another little voice piped in, _But you know these waiting room magazines are always outdated…_

Kit squeezed her eyes shut. _This can't be happening._

She reopened her eyes and forced herself to look at the cover again. There he was, in all his New York-destroying glory. The man she'd found in the forest. He was in a strange green-and-gold outfit that looked like it had come straight from a renaissance faire, and on his head was a golden horned helmet. A black gag was strapped across his face. Beside him was a handsome blonde man in a similarly-styled outfit, though his was red and gold. Around him stood the group of heroes that had been all over the news for weeks after the attack on New York: the Avengers. Channel Eight news, the one Kit tried to avoid whenever possible due to their sensationalist fear-mongering ways, seemed to adore the Avengers. Channel Eight had been the first one in Portland to cover them, but Kit had thought it was all some kind of elaborate performance art stunt until she saw the same story on Channel Twelve, her preferred news station. The Avengers had even made the front page of the Willamette Week and the Portland Mercury, two of the more popular local newspapers.

But this wasn't about who was in what paper or what story was run into the ground. It was about the name in bold white letters across the front cover: _LOKI._ As in, _LOKI TAKEN BACK TO ASGARD, WILL AWAIT TRIAL._

Kit, feeling faint, slowly lifted her gaze to the door. A new feeling churned in her stomach, though it wasn't guilt this time. It was much more familiar than that.

_Oh shit._

* * *

Kit couldn't help but jump a little every time the door swung open and a patient walked out. She felt like a tightly-coiled spring that was just waiting to be let loose, such was the anxious energy that coursed through her. She clenched her fists on her knees, and one leg bounced lightly up and down. That was the only outlet she had for the moment; pacing would be way too obvious. The man – Loki – couldn't be allowed to see her like that. She knew what he was capable of.

So she sat. And waited.

Loki finally emerged from behind the door. A bandage was wrapped around his head and he clutched a white sheet of paper in his hand.

_Oh joy. A doped-up Loki. This should be fun._

The nurse was at his side, gooey eyed and smiling up at him. This only served to make Kit madder. She just wanted to jump up and shake the nurse, yelling in her face, "Don't you know who he is?!" But she didn't. Loki wasn't worth getting thrown out of the hospital. Kit pressed her lips together in a thin line, inwardly seething.

Loki, who was also joking and smiling with the nurse, turned his smile onto Kit. When he saw the dangerous look in her eye, she could have sworn she saw his smile slip a notch, but she couldn't be sure. It didn't seem like the smile reached his eyes anyway – at least, not when he looked at her. But it didn't matter who he liked anyway. Loki was here on Earth, not in Asgard where he was supposed to be. The wrath of the Asgardians hung precariously over Kit's head. Though she wasn't one of their kind, she still knew better than to get onto a god's bad side.

Shoving her hands into her pockets, Kit sprung lightly to her feet and plastered a fake smile onto her face. The best thing she could do at this point was to act normal and hope Loki wouldn't figure her out. This was neither the time nor the place for confrontations. She was still trying to figure that part out anyway; besides, she preferred to save confrontations for home, where strangers wouldn't be privy to her drama, but there was no way in _hell_ that she wanted Loki in her home.

The nurse cleared her throat and gave Kit a less-than-amused look before clearing her throat and turning back to Loki. "Well, Mr. Cox, I hope you get to feeling better soon."

Loki grinned. "Trust me, my dear, I certainly will."

Kit refrained from gagging and tugged on Loki's arm. "Well, should we head out?"

Loki gave her a curt nod. "I'll see you around," he said to the nurse. Then, leaving her swooning in the waiting room, he turned on his heel and strode briskly away. Kit fell easily into step beside him as they made their way back to the pharmacy.

"Looks like you made a new friend," she said.

"And it looks like you're still talking," Loki retorted, his previously icy demeanor returning full-force.

Kit stopped abruptly and blinked in surprise, then glared hotly at his back. _What else should I have expected?_

Not once did Loki break his stride as he left Kit in the dust.

_Yeah, I'm gonna eat his liver._

* * *

She knew. Loki knew she knew. He could see it in her eyes and smile. He could see it in the way she'd carried herself once he came back to the waiting room. It was there in the way she sat down beside him, as if he were some kind of cursed artifact whose magic latched on to whoever touched it. Her uneasiness was real, and practically tangible. And he liked it.

There was only one minor issue, Loki considered as the two of them headed out to her truck after picking up his prescription. This woman, if the way she was careful around him was any indication, was unaware of him being stripped of his powers. That could be a blessing or a curse depending on her next move. She could call the Midgardian authorities on him, which would undoubtedly lead to him being imprisoned _again_. He hated being without his powers, it made him feel weak and overly-vulnerable (though he'd never admit it), but being banished to Midgard was the lesser of two evils. On the other hand, he could use her knowledge against her – lead her on, make her think he was still a powerful god instead of a weak and useless mortal until he figured out his next move. Perhaps she would even help him…

For now, his main concerns were returning to Asgard and having his powers restored. Then he would return to Midgard and take what was his. And when he did, he wouldn't fail.

Loki glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She fished her car keys from her pocket and selected a silver key with a plastic topper made to look like a fox head. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. It was tacky and childish. The woman herself seemed overly-aware of him yet unconcerned, instead lost in thought. It was like she was trying to avoid touching him at all as she fiddled with the door lock. The key refused to enter, and she let out a savage cry and kicked her car tire.

"Temper, temper," Loki said. The look she gave him immediately brought to mind the saying _if looks could kill_.

"When were you going to tell me who you are?" she said in a soft voice. She crossed her arms and gave him a narrow-eyed, expectant look. This one he translated as, _choose your next words carefully_.

Loki, his hand resting on the car door handle, shrugged. What could she possibly do to him? She was mortal, same as he. "When I felt like it."

She ran a hand through his hair. Loki just watched with a cool distance as she once again tried to process the situation. She had been like this in the pharmacy, her face blank and eyes gazing into some unreachable distance.

"Yeah? And what if you never did? What then?"

"Then I never would have told you."

"I'd have found out eventually," she retorted. "I'm not stupid."

Loki smirked, biting back a laugh. To him, humans were just as simple and easily herded as cattle. They'd be under his command by now if it weren't for the Avengers. Her finding out who he was, that was just dumb luck, pure and simple.

"And what would you have done?" Loki's smile grew. "Let me rot?"

"I tried that already, yet here we are." She spread out her arms, indicating the dingy cement structure around them. The yellow light of the overhead lamps cast her in a sickly light.

"How observant of you," Loki purred.

"Thank you. I kind of pride myself on that."

"It'll get you far."

"Farther than you, I hope," the woman quipped.

Anger flared inside of Loki. He circled the rusty red truck and rounded on the slender woman before him, quickly closing the space between them.

"Who do you think you are, speaking to me, a _god_, in such a manner?" Loki snarled through gritted teeth. The woman held his gaze, a fearless look in her eye, and stepped forward until she was almost nose to chest with him.

"Do you really want to know, princess?" she asked in a thin, even tone.

"I command it," he growled.

She opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by a sharp caw and a rustle of wings. Loki's eyes widened and the two of them quickly looked over at a large black raven sitting on the back of her truck. Fear and anger welled up in the pit of Loki's stomach and he balled his hands into fists at his sides. From the corner of his eye, Loki could see her watching him, her eyes widening slightly at his own look of panic. She quickly unlocked her door and buckled herself in. Loki ran to the other side of her car and did the same.

"This isn't over," he said.

"Of course it isn't," she agreed.

The raven took flight as the woman revved up her engine and sped away.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update. Just been busy lately, both at work and with preparing to go back to school. I'M GONNA BE A LIBRARIAN YOU GUYS! WOOHOO! Er, I mean, yep, going back to school. Also, I apologize for the length. This chapter was originally really short so I added in some stuff and it became longer than I thought it would.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own The Avengers or Thor. They belong to Marvel. I only own my OC's. The city this story takes place in is a real city (my hometown, in fact), however most of the places described in this story are fictional.

* * *

The woman pulled into the parking lot of a square green building. Loki sagged against his seat in relief when she shut off the growling engine of the bulky monstrosity they sat in. He couldn't begin to comprehend why she kept this thing around; not only was it loud, but it was smelly, and the outside looked like it had seen better days. For Loki, that was putting it kindly.

He watched as she fastened a badge to her chest. On the badge was printed a single word - Kit - in plain black letters. What was this Kit? Was the building Kit? Was _she_ Kit? Loki frowned. Midgard was far too chaotic and confusing for his taste. The only good thing to have come of this place was the pretty red-headed nurse from the hospital...

"That's me," the woman said, breaking Loki from his thoughts. His frown deepened.

"What are you talking about?" he said.

"My name, on this," she said, tugging at the badge. "I'm Kit. I probably should've introduced myself."

"I couldn't care less who you are."

"Well you should. I took you in. Or did your mother never teach you about stranger danger?"

Loki snarled. Frigg was one of the few people in the realm who he actually cared about, one of the few people who had ever shown him kindness. "You leave her out of this."

"Sorry." Kit grabbed her satchel and got out of the truck. "Listen, you'll have to stay here for a while. They won't let you in since you're barefoot. But I'll bring you back some lunch, okay? You must be starving. How does beef sound to you?"

Loki refrained from licking his lips. The thought of beef made his mouth water; he _was_ starving, but he wouldn't let her know that. "It sounds like poison."

Kit smiled cheerfully. "Beef it is!"

And with that, she slammed the door shut and strode away.

Loki sunk down into his seat. He crossed is arms and gazed sullenly out the window, for a moment wondering why in the hell he had bothered sticking by Kit's side for so long. It couldn't have had anything to do with her taking him to the hospital, or her promises of free food - not when he had to put up with her bossy attitude and being called "Princess". Loki sighed.

"That beef better be good," he grumbled to himself.

Loki glanced around the truck. Aside from a bag on the floor that was full of what he assumed was trash, the truck was actually fairly clean. A string of brown wooden beads with a tassel were wound around the driver's rear view mirror. Loki ran the beads between his fingers. They were smooth against his skin. Slowly, gently, he unwound the beads and examined them. They made up one long necklace; on one end were two beads stacked on top of each other that were larger than the rest. Loki set the beads down on the dashboard.

He glanced about some more before deciding to poke around the glove box next. With a little finagling it popped open for him. Loki gave a cry of alarm when several CDs, some bunched up napkins, and small square packages cascaded onto his lap. He looked over the CDs; he had no idea who The Cranberries were, nor Nirvana or Billy Idol, but he suddenly found himself hungry again.

"What is that...?" Loki muttered to himself. He shook his head and set aside a CD with a binge-drinking, half-naked clown on the cover. "Never mind. There are things in this world that I am better off not knowing."

Loki set the CDs aside and picked up a string of the square plastic objects. They were squishy between his fingers and had a circular, raised bump in the middle. One side was blue and, he saw as he turned the package, the other side was clear. He could see another clear something inside, though he still didn't know what it was.

Loki daintily tore the package open and took out the thing inside. It was rubbery and greasy; he wrinkled his nose and wiped the fingers of one hand on a napkin. There was no way he was getting the grease on his pants. He was still a prince, after all.

"What's this?" Loki wondered aloud. One side of the thing poked upward, whereas the base seemed to be rolled up. Loki unrolled the base, eyes widening as it became a sort of rubber tube. "What does one even _do_ with these? Is it a glove?"

He slid the tube onto his hand, again wrinkling his nose at the greasy feeling. He concluded that humans were just as foolish as he thought they were. Something so thin could _never_ protect them from the cold.

* * *

_It sounds like poison_.

For the first time ever, Kit and Loki actually agreed on something. Kit frowned. She thought it would have taken longer for that to happen, were it to ever happen at all. But, she had to admit, Loki was right. Beef _did_ sound like poison. Cooked beef, anyway. She liked her beef raw and juicy, and so fresh it could have been the Prince of Bel-Aire. Cooked meat just didn't do it for her the way raw meat right off the bone did. Even after these past couple millennia, she still never developed a taste for cooked meat, though none of her friends had ever known that. Not even her husband had known that.

_No. Don't think of him_, Kit thought, pausing and squeezing her eyes shut. _You swore you would never think of him again._

She took a deep breath and entered the restaurant, plastering a smile on her face. Kit's shift went by in a blur. She welcomed the busy periods, as they were a distraction from her little guest, but as soon as the rushes ended and business slowed down again, her mind wandered back to Loki.

He was sitting out there, alone, in her truck since he was barefoot and the Chas refused to let anyone in without shoes or a shirt. It simply wasn't sanitary. But Kit couldn't help wondering what - if anything – he was up to out there. Would she be able to start her truck when she clocked out? Would she have to have someone else start it for her? Would her truck even be out there? Loki was pretty clueless in this realm, but that didn't mean he was stupid. Kit knew better than to underestimate the cleverness of a trickster god.

"Hey, Kit!"

Kit jumped and yelped, too lost in thought as she killed time by wiping down the tables in her area. She silently berated herself for her obliviousness, though when she turned to face her friend Marley, she was suddenly flooded with relief.

"Hey Mar, what's up?" Kit said, smiling at the blonde before her. Marley was tall, tan, and dressed in her usual pink. Though she came across as a bubbly airhead, Kit knew she was anything but.

"Not a lot. I was just coming by to see if you were still up for Karaoke this weekend," said Marley. Kit was about to answer when Marley went on, "but I got distracted by something I thought you should know about."

A cold weight welled up in the pit of Kit's stomach. "And what's that?"

"There's a man in your truck playing with your condoms."

Kit swore loudly and bolted out the front door. _Loki you little shit!_

"Wait! What's going on?" Marley called behind her, darting out the door as well. Even in heels she was still able to keep pace; Kit attributed that to the modelling that Marley did in her free time.

"Lo-Holden! What the hell?" Kit gasped, yanking open the passenger-side door. Just as Marley had said, Loki was sitting in his seat, a condom on each hand and another few opened in his lap. Kit cringed, wanting to vanish into thin air, or have Loki put himself out of her misery. Whichever was more likely to happen.

"What are these things?" Loki asked. Kit glanced nervously over her shoulder at her bemused friend.

"They're…things. Very private things. Now throw those away! Did you open all of them? You better not have! I mean, I may not need them but still. I may need them!" Kit cringed again. She hated to ramble. Back when she was married and new to being a human, she had convinced many of her husband's friends that she was stupid because of her rambling. Not that it was her fault. Speaking to humans and having them understand her was a novelty that she was only to eager to experience.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her as he slowly pulled the condoms off of his hands. Kit glared right back.

"Who's this? He looks familiar…" Marley said, breaking the tension between Kit and Loki. Loki opened his mouth but Kit cut him off.

"Just an old friend. His name's Holden. Holden Cox. You may have seen him somewhere."

"I have, just not with you…" Marley rubbed her chin. Kit hated the scrutinizing look in her eye.

"Well it's a small world, eh?" Kit replied with a nervous laugh. "Listen, go back inside. I'm about to go on lunch so we can catch up later, okay? I'll be right in."

Marley nodded, giving Loki one last up-and-down look before she returned to the restaurant. As soon as she was sure Marley was gone, Kit rounded on Loki.

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Kit snarled through her teeth.

"I'm not the one with these useless gloves in your...vehicle. However would you stay warm?"

Kit felt herself blush. In a sense, yes, they were absolutely gloves, and there were ways to make them warm. But this was neither the time nor the place to go explaining that to Loki.

"Do you realize she probably recognized you? Do you realize how much attention you drew to yourself just now? Listen." Kit pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath as she willed herself to calm down. "I know you're a stranger in a strange land right now but you can't just go around playing with people's…_accessories_…like that. Not to mention how rude it is to go through people's things-"

Loki crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Kit. "Your point is?"

Kit crossed her arms as well, holding back the urge to slap Loki across the face. "Act right!"

Loki brushed the now-useless condoms off his lap and turned around in his seat, crossing his legs. Unless Kit was mistaken, she could have sworn she saw him pout again. It was a pout she had become quite familiar with in her husband's palace, whenever she had to put an end to her maids' idle gossip. _No fair. You always ruin my fun._ There was only one response she provided when they gossiped, though in a way befitting a woman of her stature: _Deal with it._

"Pick them up," Kit ordered, clenching the door handle. "I'll be back in a bit with dinner. And don't go through my stuff again! If you're curious, just ask."

Something flickered in Loki's eyes, but it was too quick for Kit to see. She sighed and shut the door, then turned back toward the square green building before her. She had been in Loki's shoes numerous times throughout her long life, she should know what he felt. Even now she could imagine Halmoni scolding her to have a little empathy.

_It's hard, Halmoni_, Kit thought with a sigh. _How can I empathize with someone who tried to conquer our world?_

* * *

Thankfully, that was the only Loki-related incident that Kit had to put up with while she was at work. As Kit let her hair out of its bun on the way to her truck, she breathed a small sigh of relief. Not only was she relieved that her car was intact, but she was also glad that Loki wasn't playing with her condoms anymore. He hadn't cleaned up his mess though, but since she had just gotten off work, she would let that slide. For now.

"I picked up some more food for you on my way out," Kit said on the drive home. "Beef galbi and a side of rice. I just thought you'd be hungry since you haven't eaten much today."

She had come out on her lunch break with a roast beef sandwich she'd packed for herself, and beef bulgogi for him. He refused to eat, calling the offering "peasant food". Even now he seemed to be turning his nose up at the food. He seemed less than impressed with the white takeout container sitting on the dash.

"You're thin as a rail, you should eat something," Kit continued. She bit back a grimace at her words. Halmoni, the little old woman who had taken Kit in so long ago, had shown her affection by feeding those she loved. Sometimes Kit surprised herself by how much this had rubbed off on her.

Loki gave Kit a dirty look before going back to staring out the window.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kit asked.

Loki just sighed.

"Very well."

Kit reached over and switched on the radio. Loki shied away from her as she did so; Kit couldn't help but smirk at his squeamishness, finding even more amusement in the curiosity that lit Loki's eyes when Billy Corgan's voice poured out from the speakers.

"What…" Loki began. He brushed the radio's dial with his fingertips. Kit chuckled.

"That's a radio. If you're good, and don't destroy any more cities, I'll teach you how to use it."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY! I promise I meant to update sooner. Life just has a way of catching up with me. (As does my desperation to play Age of Mythology leading me to download a virus on accident from a random website instead of Steam. Curse my cheapness.) Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the long overdue Chapter Five! And to answer the commenter's question, yes, Kit is connected to the forest.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Thor or The Avengers, they belong to Marvel. I do not own Goodwill. I do not own the books/series/franchises mentioned in this chapter. While the story does take place in a real city, the majority of the locations are fictional. I only own my OCs.

* * *

The day's exhaustion seemed to hit Kit all at once as soon as she switched off her truck's engine; there was no driveway, so she had to parallel park in front of the duplex. All Kit wanted to do was kick off her black non-slip shoes and let her true self out – the tingling itch at the base of her spine was both tempting and threatening in Loki's presence – but that would have to wait. With him here there was still work to be done.

_Hopefully he won't make me miss _Game of Thrones, Kit thought wistfully. But one sidelong glance at Loki examining his nails and she knew she'd have to catch it On Demand. _At least I won't have to worry about him spoiling it for me._

Kit wasted no time in ushering Loki inside. As she bustled about, grabbing blankets and an extra pillow from the hall closet, Loki just stood in the living room and gazed disapprovingly at his surroundings. It was a modest place, to be sure, but it was home.

The main area near the front of the apartment was the kitchen and the living room, the latter of which doubled as a dining room. A blue plaid couch was backed against a partial wall, and in front of the couch was the wooden coffee table where Kit kept her laptop. There was a stack of coasters, taken from various McMennamins restaurants, beside the laptop.

On the other end of the living room was her TV/VCR sitting in a wooden entertainment center. On top of the TV was a DVD player, and in the entertainment center was Kit's movie collection. She mostly owned DVDs now, but still couldn't bear to part with her tapes.

To the left of the TV was a door that opened onto the back yard. Along the wall perpendicular to the back door was a wooden IKEA bookcase holding all of Kit's books. She hadn't always been literate in Korean _or_ English, though it had been her fascination with Halmoni's tales that ended up sparking her love of reading. She got her hands on any book she could, starting with mythology. From there she ate up Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Neil Gaiman, and any other book that came her way. Though she had seen it all, reading still gave her the sense of wonder she once felt when she had first become human.

This room was where Kit's tour of the apartment began. Through an archway beside the bookcase was a short hallway with four doors. Two were straight ahead, one was on the right, and one on the left at the end of the hall.

"This is the linen closet," Kit said, jerking a thumb at the door on the right. "I just keep blankets and towels and stuff like that in there." She pointed to the door straight ahead. "That's my room, and the one on the left is the bathroom. I don't want you just barging into my room, okay? Knock first. Now at the end of the hall is the laundry room. We do our own laundry here at Casa de Kit, but don't worry, I'll show you how everything works."

"It's so small," Loki said with a sniff of disapproval.

"Were you expecting bigger?" Kit asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "Because I'd hate to disappoint a guest."

"This will…suffice…" He moved awkwardly around the coffee table and lowered himself onto the couch. Kit grit her teeth at his words, biting back a vitriolic response of her own. Instead, she just straightened and raked a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, well, it'll grow on you. Now try and get some rest. We've got a big day tomorrow."

* * *

It was hard falling asleep at first. The couch, despite Kit's efforts to make it comfortable, was still hard and narrow. Loki was naturally tall, and in Asgard everyone from his tailors to his servants did what they could to accommodate this. Now, though, Loki had to work to find a comfortable sleeping position, but even when he settled on one, he still had to lay his head at an awkward angle. The pillow he was given didn't do much to provide support, either. It felt thin and flat compared to what he had back home.

_Home._ Home, where he slept on the softest of mattresses, in a gilded frame, with thick fur blankets from animals he had hunted himself. Home, where he was waited on by servants, ate the finest meats and fruits, drank the best wine and wore the most luxurious clothing ever made. Here, he was already miserable and felt like a common nobody. Why should a prince have to cook or clean, or sleep on such hard furniture – if it could even be called that? Loki figured he would have been better off in the woods.

Even when Loki _did_ manage to sleep, he never stayed asleep for long. He had always been something of a light sleeper, and the noises of the city didn't help at all. Cars passed on the streets, rumbling by with their deafening engines, and somewhere nearby he could hear the high-pitched howl of a wild animal.

Finally Loki fell back asleep. When he did, he dreamt of a brilliant white fox eating him alive.

* * *

Loki jolted awake. He quickly patted down his torso. Satisfied that his organs were still in place, he sighed in relief and laid back down.

A horrific buzzing noise sounded from the other room. Kit swore in an unfamiliar language and the buzzing stopped. She padded silently into the room, and Loki wondered once again at her silent footsteps. He didn't like that a human could be so light-footed; it would be too easy for them to sneak up on him.

"Good morning," Kit said on a yawn. "How'd you sleep?"

"I slept," Loki said, yawning despite himself.

Kit looked over her shoulder at him as she grabbed a few items out of a kitchen cupboard.

"You look tired," she observed. "Not that I blame you though. It must be tough sleeping in an unfamiliar place."

Loki rolled his eyes. "How would you know?"

Kit filled a paper dish with a dark powder and placed it into an odd contraption.

"Midgard's a pretty big place," she replied. "This specific area? I'm not actually from here. I'm from a different place called Korea. Here, let me show you."

She headed to the bookshelf and pulled out a thick, heavy book. Kit flipped through it until she found the right page, and pointed at an oddly-shaped continent.

"Here's where we are - Oregon, USA. That's the United States of America. And here –" She pointed to another continent across the sea. Just like before, she indicated a small territory within the continent. "- is where I was born. I grew up here, and later came to the States. I hate to say it, Loki, but we have a lot more in common than you realize."

"I am nothing like you!" Loki shot back, glaring coldly at Kit. "You're human, and a peasant. Weak and easily herded like cattle. Nothing more."

Kit looked away in silent dismissal of his words. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. After a moment, she spoke. "I'm going to teach you how to cook," she said. "Come with me if you want to eat."

* * *

After a breakfast of eggs and bacon, Kit showed Loki how to work the sink, then led him down the hall to show him how to work the shower. It had been a struggle, since Loki had never washed a dish in his life; servants were always there to take care of his messes. Yet at the same time, he had to admit, sinks were pretty interesting. Asgard had no such technology. He made a mental note to further examine the sink later on.

"This is just like the sink, but a bit more extreme with the temperatures. Either you're practically boiling yourself alive or freezing yourself to death," she laughed. "Anyway, this is for the hot water, this is for the cold. The water comes out of here, and you pull this little thingy up to get the shower going." She pointed up. "Always check first so you don't get splashed by that, because that's where the water comes from. Here's the soap, and here's the shampoo – that's for washing your hair. Here's the conditioner, that's for your hair too. You use the shampoo first."

_Why make bathing so complicated? Water has always been enough_, Loki thought, frowning at the colorful bottles before him. "And what shall I do with my clothes?" he asked. "This is all I have."

Kit's eyes widened. "Ah, well that's a good question." Recovering herself, she shrugged. "Just dump them outside the door when you're done changing, and I'll take care of them."

Loki smiled. "Very well."

"But I'm not doing your laundry again!"

* * *

Loki immediately felt better after ridding himself of yesterday's filth, though he wasn't used to standing as he washed himself since baths were the norm in Asgard. Even the pain pills he had taken with breakfast seemed to lift his mood. After his shower, Loki stepped out onto a fluffy white towel and wrapped a dark blue towel with _Hilton_ written in white on it around his waist. Kit was at the door holding a spare pair of sandals when he exited the bathroom.

"Oh hey, I found these shoes – oh my." Her eyes took him in, near-nudity and all. "You're…that's my towel."

"I decided to use it. I hope you won't mind."

"Here. Just take these. Your clothes should be ready soon." Kit covered her eyes with her hand and shoved the sandals in his general direction. "My last boyfriend left these here. They should be about your size."

Loki wordlessly took the shoes and slipped them on. It felt strange to wear shoes that were open at each end. Loki wriggled his toes, lifted his foot off the ground. He glared at the shoe and gave an experimental kick.

"I can't wear these," he said, crossing his arms and fixing Kit with a glare.

"Why not?"

"They're broken."

"They're not broken, but if you don't like them then go barefoot, see if I care."

"Maybe I shall!" Loki snapped.

"Are you fu – Loki, you can't go barefoot into Goodwill. They won't allow it. Just wear the damn shoes, I'll get you another pair when we get there."

"Promise?" Loki said. Kit nodded.

"Promise."

"Good."

* * *

It had been a very long time since Kit had slept with someone, and seeing Loki walking around in nothing but a towel tied around his waist was all it took to remind her of that. She'd been human long enough to not give in to her baser urges, but as much as she hated to admit it, he cut a pretty dashing figure. He was slender, but not lacking muscles, and despite his age his chest was mostly bare. Near his hips was the beginning of a thick, dark Happy Trail.

Kit found herself having to drag her eyes away from Loki as he sat on her couch, one leg crossed over the other, reading her copy of _Anansi Boys_. The third time she had to do so, he nearly caught her looking. Blushing furiously she got up to check on the laundry. The dryer was still going, but there she hid, sitting on top of the machine and staring at the wall. It was better than drooling over Loki like some preteen schoolgirl.

_He tried to destroy the earth, Kit! Act right!_

Once the laundry was finished and Loki was dressed and ready to go, Kit beat a hasty retreat to her car. She had to hide her laughter as she watched Loki shuffling along behind her. His face was contorted into a look of growing frustration.

"You think this is funny, don't you, giving me broken shoes?" Loki snapped as they drove to Goodwill.

"They're not broken, that's how they're _supposed_ to fit. And they're the only pair I have, so you're welcome."

Loki sighed.

"It's not my fault I don't have anything that fits you. I'm not a man. But if you'd like, we can track down my ex and take the rest of his clothes."

Loki glanced up at her, a hopeful look on his face. "Maybe we should."

"That was sarcasm, Princess. I'm not that crazy."

Loki chuckled dryly. "You could have fooled me."

"Quiet you."

Kit reached over and switched on the radio. Loki eventually found himself nodding along to a bouncy tune.

"I must procure one of these banana phones," he murmured to himself at the end of the song.

* * *

Goodwill wasn't Kit's first choice, but with rent coming up, it was the better option. Despite what movies and TV would have their viewers believe, not every immortal could have a seemingly endless stockpile of riches hidden away somewhere. Some of them had to work, and not all of them could afford expensive designer brands.

Kit hid a smile at Loki's reaction to the sliding glass doors. Confused and amazed, he watched others go through before joining Kit inside. Just as he had in the hospital, he gazed at his surroundings, taking everything in with a critical eye.

"What is this place?" Loki asked, a note of disgust and careful fascination in his voice.

"Goodwill. It's all secondhand – people donate the stuff they don't want any more to this place, which then turns around and sells it to the people who _do_ want it. It's pretty affordable. We'll be able to get you a nice wardrobe –"

"I will not wear someone else's cast-off belongings!" Loki cried, drawing quite a few looks. Kit fought to hide her humiliation.

"If I could afford to take you someplace nicer, I would, but for now, this is what you'll have to work with, so pipe down and stop embarrassing me!"

Loki raised an eyebrow as Kit brushed past him. He sullenly followed her as she took him through the men's department. She tried to hide how lost she felt here, though she was sure Loki could sense it on her. To her, mens clothes all looked alike. For that, she was glad she no longer worked in a department store. But, she had to admit, it was fun. Taking Loki in for what felt like the first time, she began coming up with ideas on what to dress him in. He couldn't possibly be a size medium, given how skinny he was, but she stuck to both the small and medium clothing racks anyway.

At first, Loki refused to look, but eventually he began picking out a few things he liked; most of it was in black and green. As much as Kit liked the way green brought out the color in his eyes, she wanted him to pick something else, and cringed every time another green shirt went into the cart. So far he had picked out several green dress shirts, a few green t-shirts, some black t-shirts, dark jeans, and some black pants.

"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" Kit asked as they waited for the fitting room attendant.

"Doing what?" Loki asked innocently.

"Picking out green. A lot of people here haven't seen you in any other color. Do you want to be recognized? Because that's how you get recognized." Kit rang the bell for the attendant again.

"If it gets me away from you," Loki replied, examining his nails.

"Please. You'd just be putting yourself out of my misery," Kit said in a cool tone.

"And you, mine."

They exchanged looks before Kit glanced away, searching for the attendant.

"Where _is_ she? I swear, these people would be in so much trouble if they worked where I did," Kit said.

"Is this even necessary?" Loki complained, holding up his clothes. "Must I try them on here?"

"Do you want clothes that fit?" Kit shot back.

"Of course."

"There's your answer."

Loki wrinkled his nose at her but said nothing. Finally the attendant, an older woman with greying hair, appeared. She was wearing a pair of gloves, for which Kit could hardly blame her. Every time Kit shopped at Goodwill she felt like washing her hands afterward.

The woman counted Loki's things and handed him a number. He gave the woman a confused frown. Kit just shook her head, rolling her eyes with a half-smile.

"Just go into one of those rooms and try on your clothes. Whatever doesn't fit, you can give back ot her and she'll take care of it from there," Kit explained.

Loki narrowed his eyes at Kit. "Stop telling me what to do. I am not a child."

"Stranger in a strange land, remember?"

Loki didn't respond, but instead followed the woman into the fitting rooms. Kit leaned back against the wall and took a copy of _Club Dead_ out of her purse. As much as she loved her _Game of Thrones_ and _Lord of the Rings_, she still needed a little cheese to cleanse her palate every now and again. The Southern Vampires series was just the cheese for the job.

After a while Kit glanced up and called out to Loki, "How are you doing in there?"

"Your clothing is strange," he called back. "Am I doing it right?"

"Come out and we'll see."

Loki appeared in a green Polo t-shirt and a dark pair of jeans, both of which hugged his figure perfectly. Kit always liked the way a pair of pants hung from a man's hips. He smoothed down the front of the shirt before looking up to meet Kit's eyes.

"Well?" Loki said expectantly.

"Yes. You're doing it right. You're doing it very, very right."

Loki smiled. Realizing what she had said, Kit cleared her throat and straightened.

"That looks good," Kit tried again. "How does it fit? Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, of course I am. Except…"

She sighed. "Except _what_?"

Loki looked down. "It's a bit drafty."

Kit followed his gaze. Now she could see why he called human clothing strange: he couldn't work the zipper. "Holden, pull up that little tab there. Your parts are showing."

"Oh. Well then." Loki did as he was told, but not without a grimace. "Buttons are so much simpler," he muttered as he went back into the fitting room.


End file.
